A passive supplemental inflatable restraint system having a PSIR door that is integrally formed into an automotive vehicle instrument panel must also include some provision for guiding or otherwise facilitating the opening and partial separation of that PSIR door from the instrument panel that it is integrally formed with. This is particularly true of PSIR doors that are integrally formed into hard first-surface instrument panels. The "first-surface" of a panel is the cosmetic exterior surface that would be visible to a vehicle occupant. Hard first-surface panels are typically formed by injection molding one or more plastic materials.
To close air bag deployment openings in hard first-surface instrument panels, many current PSIR systems use a separate "add-on" PSIR door. One reason that current PSIR systems add on a separate PSIR door in such applications is because it is difficult to cause a tear seam to break and/or tear in a predictable way under the sudden shock of a deploying air bag. Even when weakened, a tear seam that integrally joins a PSIR door and a surrounding instrument panel can fracture in a ragged unpredictable manner that can affect air bag deployment.
One example of a hard first-surface system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,228 assigned to Morton International and issued Dec. 5, 1995. This patent discloses a reinforced hard door with a reaction plate. When the air bag deploys, the reaction plate forces the door in a direction that will break weakened fasteners securing the door to an instrument panel.
Another of Morton's hard door concepts is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,746, issued Jul. 9, 1996. This system includes a reaction plate with reinforced lands. When the air bag deploys, it acts upon the reaction plate to cause hold down attachment rods to release from clips.
What is needed is an apparatus that, in response to air bag deployment, helps separate and open a PSIR door that is integrally formed into an instrument panel. What is also needed is such an apparatus that helps separate and open a PSIR door that is integrally formed into a hard first-surface instrument panel.